Ignitor for gas-engines



IGNITER FOR GAS ENGINES.

No. 403,380. Patente May 14, 1889.

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UNIT D STATES PATENT OFFICE.

NEIVTON ROGERS AND JAMES A. VVHARRY, OF TERRE HAUTE, INDIANA.

IGNITOR FOR GAS-ENGINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 403,380, dated May 14 1889.

Application filed August 22, 1888. Serial No. 283,452. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, NEWTON ROGERS and JAMES A. WHARRY, of Terre Haute, in the county of Vigo and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ignitors for Gas-Engines; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form part of this specification.

Our invention relates to improvements in electric ignitors for gas-engines; and the object of our improvement is to produce a simple and effective ignitor by means of which the explosive mixture in the cylinder of a gasengine may be exploded, and which may be adapted to any form of gas-engine, whether compressive or non-compressive. We attain these objects by means of mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figurel is an end elevation of the cylinder, showing the ignitor operatively attached thereto; and Fig. 2 is a section on line a m of Fig. 1.

Similar letters refer to similar parts in the several views.

A is the cylinder of an explosive engine provided with the usual water-jacket, B, the

Water entering at a and leaving the cylinder at the other end.

0 is the cylinder-head, also provided with a water-course, as shown.

D is the usual way-shaft of the engine, by means of which the inlet and exhaust valves are operated, and which may make one turn while the engine makes one, two, three, or four turns, 650., according to the style of engine. This shaft revolves in suitable bearings formed in a bracket, 0, conveniently secured to the cylinder-head, as shown. This way-shaft is also provided with one or more cams, E, according as one or more sparks are required per revolution of this shaft. These cams strike the end of a spring-held recipro eating rod, F, and push it in one direction, while a spring, G, housed in a casing, H, and bearing at one end on the bottom thereof and at the other end against a nut, I, upon the threaded stem F, pushes it in the opposite direction against the cams. The rod F is journaled to, a rocker-arm, J, at N.

The rocker-arm J is forked at the bottom for the reception of the bolt which secures the end of F thereto, and which forms a journal for the eye at the end of F. The other end of the rocker J is split, as shown at L, and is provided with a clamping-screw, M. A smaller shaft, P, is tightly clamped between the two jaws of the rocker, and its relative position therein can be alteredas desired.

The shaft P passes through an insulated plug, R, formed of porcelain or other refractory non-conducting material, and is made in one piece with a curved arm, 0. This arm may be straight; but in the position shown of the gas-inlet e the arm is made curved, so as not to obstruct this inlet.

At the outer end of the arm 0 a small screw, of platinum or other suitable conducting metal, is inserted, forming one of the electrodes, S, which bears upon a similar point, S, screwed into a rod held by an insulator, T, passing through the cylinder-head. This rod forms the other electrode, and one of the electric wires, u, leading from a battery, coil, or dynamo, or other'source of electricity, is secured thereto by means of a milled nut, I. The other wire completing the circuit connects with the rocker J in any convenient manner. thereto by means of the nut K. If desirable, the insulator R may be omitted, and the rod 10 work directly in the cylinder-head, in which case the second wire may be secured to any portion of the cylinder-head directly, without any insulation.

The gas enters the cylinder, as at f, through an inlet-valve, g, and air enters at h. The air and gas pass through ports d and e into the cylinder.

The operation of our device is as follows: A charge having entered the cylinder, as above described, and when compressed or not, the piston is at beginning of its outstroke. The way-shaft being caused to revolve by connection with the main shaft, causes its cam E to bear against the end of rod F, thus causing the rocker-arm J and the connected part For instance, it may be clamped 0 to oscillate. The point S leaves S, and the contact being broken a spark passes and ignites the explosive mixture. By means of the spring G the rod F is caused to assume its original position after the cam has passed. By means of the adjusting-nut I the tension on the spring may be varied, and by means of the clamping-nut M the position of the rod 0 with respect to the rocker may be varied, thus adjusting the throw of the rocker and adapting the device for any desired length of spark. This is an important feature of our device, as different gaseous mixtures require different lengths of sparks to ignite them.

It will be understood that by making the arm 0 of suflicient weight the spring 11 may be omitted, the overbalancing produced by the arm securing the return of the electrodes into contact.

Having now described our invention, what We claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a gas-engine ignitor, the combination of a reciprocating sp ring-held rod, a rockerarm secured thereto, vibrating electrode attached to said rocker-arm, and a fixed electrode secured to the cylinder, substantially as set forth.

2. In an electric-ignitor device, a springhcld rod, means for reciprocating the rod, and

a rocker-arm operated by said rod, in combination with an oscillating electrode attached to the rocker-arm inside of the cylinder, a fixed electrode carried by the cylinder, and means for adjusting the position of the oscillating electrode with respect to the rocker-arm, whereby the throw of the reciprocating rod may be altered and the length of passing spark to be changed, substantially as described.

3. The combination of the rod F, spring G, casing H, adjusting-nut I, rocker J, provided with slit L and clamp-bolt M, electrode 0, secured to rocker J, and the fixed electrode, substantially as described.

4. The combination, with a shaft operated by the engine and provided with one or more cams, and a rod reciprocated by said cams, of a rock-shaft operated by said rod, said rockshaft being adapted to oscillate a moving electrode of a gas-engine ignitor, substantially as described.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our own we aflix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

NEWTON ROGERS. JAMES A. WHARRY. Vitnesses:

MARTIN HOLLINGER, W. C. ENGLES. 

